United Airlines and its United MileagePlus loyalty program are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. United is the third largest airline in the world as measured by fleet size and the number of routes. It operates domestically out of eight hubs and has international routes to all six continents.
United is a member of the Star Alliance. This means you can redeem United MileagePlus miles to fly on any airline in the alliance. In addition to United, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles are additional Star Alliance programs that can offer value.
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Best Credit Cards to Earn United MileagePlus Miles
United is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. This means that you can transfer Chase and Marriott points directly to United to book award flights. Chase points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott points transfer in <48 hours at a 3:1.1 ratio.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant are personal cards to consider. Reserve cardmembers earn 3x points on dining and travel. You earn 2x points on dining and travel with the Preferred. Brilliant cardmembers earn 6x points at Marriott.
Business owners can check out the Ink Business Preferred and Marriott Bonvoy Business. Preferred cardmembers earn 3x points on travel, shipping, Internet, cable, and phone, and social media/search engine advertising. You earn 6x points at Marriott as a Bonvoy Business card member.
United also has co-branded credit cards. These are cards that earn United miles directly with your spending. United cards to consider include the United Club Infinite, United Explorer, and United Business.
Additional Ways to Earn United MileagePlus Miles
In addition to transferring points to the airline, the United MileagePlus program allows you to earn airline miles in several ways. This makes it relatively easy to earn the additional miles you may need to book your next flight.
The first way that you can earn miles is by flying on United or crediting a partner flight to your United MileagePlus account. For example, if you fly on an Avianca flight, you can credit the miles earned to your United MileagePlus account. Head to wheretocredit.com to determine if this makes sense for your situation.
United offers a second way that you can earn miles by shopping through its shopping portal. When you shop online with one of the program’s partners, you earn United miles with every dollar that you spend.
A third way that you can earn miles is by enrolling in the MileagePlus Dining program. Enroll in any of your credit cards in the program and you earn miles by spending at partner restaurants.
The United MileagePlus X app is a fourth way to earn United miles. Use the app to make purchases with participating merchants and earn miles with your spending.
The last way that you can earn miles is through United’s hotel and transportation partners. For example, you can earn 500 miles per stay at participating Hyatt hotels.
Basic United MileagePlus Miles Redemption Rules
When you’re ready to use United miles for an award flight, the program has several rules that are important to know. For simplicity, below are important ones to keep in mind:
- Fuel surcharges are not added to award flights
- United generally has the best website to search for Star Alliance flights
- Excursionist Perk allows you to book a free award flight on a round-trip itinerary
- United requires additional miles the closer to your date of travel that you book
Using United Award Charts
United does not publish award charts. However, legacy award chart pricing generally still holds that further out that you book your flight. There are caveats for everything so this may not be the case for every route. Generally speaking, popular routes require more miles the closer to your date of travel that you book your flight.
Top 5 Best Uses of United Miles
1. United US to South America
Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine National Park, Uyuni Salt Flat, and Christ the Redeemer are just a taste of the things to see in South America.
With 35,000 United MileagePlus miles, you can book a one-way United business class flight from the US to South America.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Houston–Intercontinental (IAH) > Bogota (BOG)
2. Star Alliance US to Europe
Europe is a diverse continent that offers travelers everything they could want and more in terms of experiences. The Cliffs of Moher, Palace of Versailles, Sistine Chapel, Parthenon, and St. Peter’s Basilica are a few things that come to mind when you think of visiting Europe.
With 77,000 United MileagePlus miles, you can book a one-way United business class flight from the US to Europe. United, like Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles, is great to use when flying partners with high fuel surcharges because United doesn’t pay them on to you. In other words, this can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Washington–Dulles (IAD) > Vienna (VIE) – Austrian Airlines
- Miami (MIA) > Zurich (ZRH) – Swiss Air Lines
3. United US to Africa
Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, Kruger National Park, Maasai Mara National Reserve, and Valley of the Kings are a small sampling of what the massive continent of Africa has to offer.
With 80,000 United miles, you can book a one-way United business class flight to Africa. For Star Alliance partner flights, consider using Avianca LifeMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan, or Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. Above all, get yourself to Africa to explore this incredible place.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Chicago–O’Hare (ORD) > Vienna (VIE) > Cairo (CAI) – EgyptAir
- New York (JFK) > Ethiopia (ADD) > Ethiopian Airlines
4. Star Alliance US to Japan
In Tokyo, there is incredible Japanese food, temples, and nightlife. Kyoto also has temples plus parks and matcha to try. Reasons to visit Osaka include street food and cherry blossoms. Overall, Japan doesn’t lack the diversity of experiences you can have.
With 38,500 United MileagePlus miles, you can book a one-way Star Alliance economy flight to Japan. This pricing is the same for flights to North Asian cities like South Korea and Taiwan.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Seattle/Tacoma (SEA) > Taipei (TPE) – EVA
- Washington–Dulles (IAD) > Tokyo (HND) – ANA
5. The Excursionist Perk
United’s version of a stopover is called the Excursionist Perk. In short, you can add a free flight when you book a round-trip award flight. The free flight cannot be in the same region as the region of origin.
In practice, here is how the Excursionist Perk works. You book a Lufthansa flight from Houston (IAH) > Frankfurt (FRA). Your free flight is from Vienna (VIE) > to Rome (FCO) on Austrian Airlines. The return flight on United is from Munich (MUC) > Houston. Overall, your free flight is the European intra-region flight.
Common United MileagePlus Questions
How many miles do you need for a free flight on United?
The number of miles required is based on your origin and destination. Specifically, 6,500 miles are the least number of miles required to book a free flight on United.
What are the benefits of United MileagePlus?
Elite status and the ability to earn and redeem miles are the benefits of United MileagePlus.
How do I find my United Mileage Plus number?
Go to Forgot your MileagePlus number? to find your United Mileage Plus number.
How much are 25,000 United miles worth?
United miles are valued at anywhere between 1 to 1.75 cents per point. On average, you can expect to receive 1.3 cents per point in value. So, this means that 25,000 miles are worth ~$338.
Conclusion on the Best Uses of United Miles
United miles are fairly easy to earn due to its partnerships with Chase and Marriott, as well as, the ability to earn miles by spending on its credit cards. There are a few important rules to know, like the Excursionist Perk, before redeeming United miles. United doesn’t use an award chart so the number of miles required to book a flight is based on supply and demand. While it may be more challenging to receive outsized value with your miles, the redemptions listed above are likely to yield a respectable return.
In what ways do you recommend using United Miles? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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